Elizabeth McCord
Elizabeth McCord (born May 4, 1951) is an American educator, consultant, and former Special Envoy to the State Department. She is a professor of international relations and political science at Harvard University and is the President of the consulting firm PRAG Solutions. She is considered a "foreign policy expert" by various media institutions and has contributed to diplomatic theories and scientific studies into international affairs and relations. Childhood and Early Life Born in Virginia, Elizabeth attended Thomas Jefferson High School, where she was captain of the debate team. She attended the University of Virginia where she met her future husband, Henry McCord. Elizabeth received her Bachelors in Philosophy and Masters in Political Science from the University of Virginia, and earned her Ph.D. in International Relations from Harvard University. Career (1974-Present) Elizabeth worked as an adjunct professor for the University of Virginia in 1974, the year after graduating. She taught political science and political theory to undergraduates and formed an inter-university study program for Philosophy majors, which greatly expanded the social studies discourse at the university and ultimately led to the creation of the College of Social Arts and Sciences of the University of Virginia. Elizabeth was offered to Dean the college by the University President but turned the job offer down. The following year, in 1977, she resigned her position as an adjunct professor citing a "pursuit of higher education" as her reason for departing. Vice-President of Harvard Board on International Relations and Diplomacy After graduating from Harvard in 1985, her dissertation titled Defective 'Diplomacy: how military use on the world stage is detrimental to diplomacy ''earned her a job offer from Harvard's Dean of Social Studies. Accepting, McCord took on the role of Vice-President of Harvard's Board of Professors and Scholars on International Relations and Diplomacy. She has served in that capacity for eight years now. Additionally, she teaches International Relations at the University as a full-time professor and is a frequent contributor to the Politics and Diplomacy columns of the ''Harvard Political Review. Special Envoy to Iraq-Kuwait Conflict In 1991, acting Secretary of State Jack Brogan appointed McCord to the role of U.S. Special Envoy to the Iraq-Kuwait Conflict. Representing the State Department and the United States, McCord was essentially tasked with negotiating the withdrawal of Iraq from Kuwait. McCord opened up a dialogue with Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq, hours after being appointed to the position. Negotiating over the phone, an agreement eventually was made that successfully included the complete withdrawal of Iraq from occupancy in Kuwait. In exchange for the withdrawal, McCord agreed that she would push the United Nations to investigate Iraq's claims that Kuwait was aggressing economically on Iraq's oil industry, jeopardizing their interests and energy investments. Additionally, the negotiations also uncovered an alleged terrorist plot by the Central Intelligence Agency that has led to an ongoing Congressional investigation into the CIA Director. McCord publicly dubbed the withdrawal as a victory for the United States, citing the resolve without any military intervention as her reasoning. She has since resigned from the position and returned to her Vice-Presidency at the Harvard Board of International Relations and Diplomacy. PRAG Solutions Initiative In 2000, following the success of her book which compiled various articles from the Harvard Political Review, Elizabeth founded the Political, Research, and Global Solutions consulting firm in an effort to enrich her involvement in the affairs of the government. She serves as President of the firm alongside her role as Vice-President of the International Relations and Diplomacy Board at Harvard. Personal Life Both of McCord's parents, Benjamin Adams and Suzanne Adams died in a car crash when McCord was seven. Moving into a foster program, McCord was raised Roman Catholic, but converted away from religion and become agnostic at the time of her marriage to Henry McCord, an ethics professor at Georgetown University. McCord is rumored by both friends and colleagues to be eyeing the position of U.S. Secretary of State, and that her most recent efforts of gaining a White House Press Pass and reporting on the Strang Administration in the Harvard Political Review were apart of her "campaign efforts" to obtain the position. McCord has not publicly entertained these rumors but the rumors are said to have become an inside joke among family members. Category:Department of State Officials